Sanctuary - Health

  Throughout January, and now into February, my family has been in the grip of coughs, colds, sickness and sore throats.  My son had a nasty flu-like bug for about a month, my daughter had something similar but with the worst sinus pain she’d ever experienced (all in the midst of mock exams, too), and hubby had man-flu.  I’ve had a blocked ear and a really sore throat, on and off for a while, and it came back with a vengeance last week.  So aren’t you all glad you’re not living in this house?!  Perhaps there should be a sign outside the door painted with a red cross?  There might even be a man with a hand cart walking up and down the road beating some kind of iron drum shouting, ‘Bring out your dead’ in true Monty Python style.  Watch this to see what I mean...  The never-ending storms we’re experiencing here on the borderland of England and Wales don’t help, that’s for sure, but at least we’re not flooded, like lots of other people are across the country at the moment (and big hugs go out to everyone suffering).  It is so grey and wet and much colder today than it has been, and...well, it is like something out of a plague-ridden medieval drama.

Anyway, I digress.  (It happens...  A lot...)  For this Sanctuary/Health post, I thought it might be helpful to talk about sore throats, and what we can do about them (but please, bear in mind that these are options, not prescriptive directions; if you choose to try them, you do so at your own risk.  We are not doctors and any remedies suggested on this blog site do not replace your doctor’s advice and treatment.  Please see your doctor if you are at all worried about your sore throat and any other symptoms.).

Last week, having got totally fed up with taking cold and flu remedies that didn’t have any effect on my sore throat, I looked at a couple of natural healing books I have, I did some internet research, and I contacted a friend of mine who uses a lot of home-made remedies.  The internet research was interesting, and there are lots of sites out there offering advice.  My Home Remedies was helpful, with someone suggesting adding lemon, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon and honey to a cup of herbal tea (I’d add a slice of lemon and a teaspoon of cider vinegar).  There was also the effective but disgusting saltwater gargle (yes, I tried it!), consisting of 1 teaspoon (5g) of salt to 8oz (240ml) boiled water, which you gargle with and spit out when it’s cooled down.  This NHS page gives general information about sore throats and self care (such as eating soft, cool food, ice cubes, avoiding smoky environments, and drinking lots of fluids), with some advice for persistent problem throats.

                       

One of my books (Juicing for Health, by Caroline Wheater, Thorsons, London, 1993) has a delicious suggestion for a high boost vitamin C juice, consisting of 2 kiwi fruit, half a mango and 1 apple.  There’s also a vegetable juice listed, made from 3 carrots, 2oz/50g parsley and 2 cloves of garlic – the garlic is ‘beneficial as it is strongly anti-viral’ (p.88).  It might work, but I didn’t try this one!


I did, however, have cups of boiled water with a teaspoon of honey, a slice of lemon and either grated or chunked fresh ginger.  This was really soothing, and tasted nice.  I followed my friend’s advice, and ate lots of green grapes, which, apparently, are cleansing.  She suggested sage tea might help – literally, just drop a sage leaf or two into a cup of boiled water.  So easy, but my sage plant seems to have drowned...  She also suggested that a couple of drops of Chamomile oil and/or Tea Tree oil in a vegetable carrier oil rubbed on your throat (externally, of course) could help.  I found a recipe in another book of mine (The Fragrant Pharmacy, Valerie Ann Worwood, Bantam, London, 1999) for something similar: ‘5 drops Chamomile, 1 drop Thyme, 2 drops Lemon, diluted in 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, rubbed into the neck area’.

Failing that, there’s always a handy throat lozenge, a ‘Fisherman’s friend’ (another effective lozenge) and good old chicken soup (and it’s not just for the soul...).  I’m pleased to say, after the weekend, that ‘I’m getting better now’, unlike that poor old guy on the Monty Python handcart!  Until next time...